Guard Preston was shot and killed as four inmates escaped from the Wynne Prison Farm near Madisonville, Texas. The prisoners had somehow obtained a key to the prison arsenal. The entered the arsenal and armed themselves. One of the prisoners then shot Guard Preston as he sat in a guard cage. The prisoners then took over the main prison building, took control of the remaining employees, and then stole the warden's car.
All of the inmates were recaptured. The inmate who shot Guard Preston was sentenced to death but the verdict was later remanded